Ebony is the dense, nearly black heartwood of several tropical trees in the genus Diospyros, of the ebony family, Ebenaceae. Only the heart of the trunk is black, and the best ebony is so heavy that some kinds sink in water.
Which trees give ebony
The finest Indian and Ceylon ebony comes from Diospyros ebenum, a tree of Sri Lanka. Macassar ebony, Diospyros celebica from Sulawesi, is striped rather than solid black. Gabon ebony comes from West and Central Africa, but sources differ on the tree. Britannica gives the name to Diospyros dendo, while a 2021 study of the timber trade gives it to Diospyros crassiflora and notes that several African species share their trade names.
A wood prized since antiquity
The word ebony goes back to ancient Egypt in the Old Kingdom. Herodotus wrote that the Ethiopians brought the Persian king 200 logs of ebony as a regular gift. In India, kings had sceptres and drinking cups made of ebony from a belief that it resisted poison.
Ebony has gone into cabinetwork, inlay and knife handles, and it is a traditional wood for black piano keys and the fingerboards of violins, cellos and guitars.
Wumu and hei tan in China
In China, several ebony species belong to hongmu (红木), the fine hardwoods defined by a national standard and used for furniture in Ming and Qing style, carvings and instruments. The standard groups the black ebonies as wumu (乌木) and files Macassar ebony under striped ebony.
Shops also use the name hei tan (黑檀). That is a market name, not a botanical one. It can mean a true ebony or Brazilian rosewood, Dalbergia nigra, and a review of the hongmu trade described its market names as confused. The name African blackwood, which belongs to Dalbergia melanoxylon, is sometimes wrongly given to African ebony, and the standard keeps the two in separate classes.
Ebony under protection
To curb overharvesting, CITES listed the ebonies of Madagascar in Appendix II in 2013, which controls international trade in their logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets. On the IUCN Red List, Diospyros crassiflora is rated Vulnerable after an earlier rating of Endangered, and Macassar ebony was rated Vulnerable in 1998.
Ebony beads and their care
Buddhist prayer beads have long been made of seeds and of plain or carved wood, as well as bone and ivory. Today, dark woods sold as ebony are cut into beads, some engraved with mantras. Our guide on how to use mala beads explains the 108-bead count, and more strings are in our malas.
Wood swells as it takes up moisture and shrinks as it dries, and that movement can crack it. Take ebony beads off before washing your hands, bathing or swimming, and dry them with a soft cloth if they get wet. Keep them away from heaters and strong sun. If the wood looks dull, buff it with a soft dry cloth.
Ebony at Buddha.store
These pieces are sold as ebony, or hei tan, a trade name that covers several dark woods.
